Canon Vixia HF S100 Camcorder Review

by Kaitlyn Chantry and Jeremy Stamas
Published on Apr 10, 2009 10:55 PM

 
Intro
 Product Tour
Color & Noise Performance Motion & Sharpness Performance
Low Light Performance Compression & Media
Manual Controls Still Features
Handling & Use Playback & Connectivity
Audio & Other Features Sony HDR-XR520V Comparison
Panasonic HDC-TM300 Comparison JVC GZ-HD300 Comparison
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Introduction
The Canon Vixia HF S100 (and its sister model, the HF S10) represent the top of the line from the manufacturer's 2009 camcorders. The 8.59-megapixel sensor, large lens, still photo capabilities, and excellent new custom control dial are just some of the features Canon has included to up the ante in this year's flagship models. Canon has also improved the overall video performance, although some low light performance was sacrificed in order to achieve incredibly high sharpness. With Panasonic and Sony both making significant strides in performance this year—and strong surprise performances from underdogs like Samsung and Sanyo—it will be tough to choose between the top contenders. If you don't already have a particular brand loyalty, purchasing a new camcorder this year might be a hard decision, based on a lot of personal preference.
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Section The Good The Bad
Product Tour Huge new lens/sensor combo and sleek aesthetic Nothing of note
Color & Noise Performance Good color accuracy in bright light and multiple color modes Higher noise levels than any of the competition
Motion & Sharpness Performance Excellent sharpness outperforms the competition; 30p and 24p alternate frame rates available Some small amount of motion trailing
Low Light Performance Nothing of note Slightly below average low light performance, especially in color and noise
Compression & Media SDHC cards are durable and convenient, AVCHD is compatible with most editing software AVCHD files can still be large and unwieldy to edit
Manual Controls Incredible depth of manual control offerings; fantastic new custom control dial Nothing of note
Still Features Excellent sharpness, 8-megapixel stills, simultaneous video and photo capture, plenty of manual controls Above average noise levels
Handling & Use Custom control dial is great; camcorder is comfortable in the hand Frustrating three-menu system; no viewfinder
Playback & Connectivity Everything you want is there on the camcorder; playback is versatile and offers some neat extras Ports are cheaply designed and inconveniently located
Audio & Other Features Some great added features give you better audio control; pre-record is useful and convenient Microphone jack is unprotected; Video Snap feature isn't as cool as it sounds



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